User blog:DemonaCarrolltucky/Second-hand Shopping
__TOC__ Most of you are going to be needing stuff for your new places. No worries, Japanese recycle shops and thrift stores are amazing and will save you loads of money! You can find practically new items for cheap and they come with a warranty. Larger shops even have a return policy. GOOGLE MAPS SEARCH WORDS It is important to find what is closest to your apartment. Sometimes you have to search for the same words multiple times in Kanji, Katakana, & Romaji to get results. Don’t worry about not being able to read anything, Google translate can help you with that. Here are a couple of words to search with to get you started. * Recycle shop リサイクルショップ Risaikuru shoppu * Recycle リサイクル Risaikuru * Second hand 中古 chūko * Thrift * Used DELIVERY OPTIONS Once you have made a purchase, now comes the somewhat tricky part, getting it home. Not all shops offer the same services, so here is a list of what is usually available. * Store Delivery * Truck Rental * Ask a friend * Shipping Company * Put on Hold STORE DELIVERY :For the larger item purchases such as beds, tables, refrigerators, washing machines, or anything else you can’t take on a bus, some shops have a delivery service. Most of them will start off at about 2,000 yen per trip, but of course, it may get more expensive the further you live from the shop. TRUCK RENTAL :Some shops don’t have delivery, but they will rent out a truck. In most cases, you can borrow the truck for up to an hour or so for free. Every 30 minutes after that is around 500 yen or so. This option is only available if you have a Japanese license or an international driver’s license. ASK A FRIEND :If those two options aren’t available, reach out to other JETs or your colleagues, someone might be willing to help you with the delivery or can refer you to someone that can. SHIPPING COMPANY :If none of the above options are available, you can ask the clerk for suggestions or just go with a local delivery service such as Yamato Transport (Kuroneko). PUT ON HOLD :Some shops will put items on hold for you, kind of like Layaway. If it is before a purchase, they may charge a non-refundable fee of about 10% for holding onto an item. If you have already purchased the item, then there is usually no extra charge. This gives you time to arrange your own delivery. Time frames may vary, but 7 days seems to be the norm. MAJOR CHAINS There are plenty of recycle shops in Japan and some of them are chains. The most well know may be the Hard Off group. Where their shops are categorized by the items they carry. Newer locations might not be updated on Google Maps, so you can check out all branch locations on the shop’s homepage. * Book Off * Book Off Super Bazaar * Hard Off * Hobby Off * Garage Off * Liquor Off * Mode Off * Treasure Factory FACEBOOK GROUPS Random FB searches can pop up some interesting groups as well. Most of them are closed groups, so be sure to look at the site rules before you join. If you are lucky, you can get stuff for really cheap or even free! New groups are popping up all the time, so these are just a few that I know of. * Mottainai Japan (everything is FREE) * Mottainnai Japan (everything is FREE) * Mottainai Tokyo (everything is FREE) * In Search Of- Japan * Sayonara / Welcome Sales Tokyo * Sayonara Sale * Tokyo Garage Sale - pick up only * Tokyo Sayonara Sale * Tokyo Sayonara Sale (the original) * Tokyo's Craigslist * Free Your Stuff Tokyo あげ&もらい&使い回します東京 MOM & POP SHOPS / OTHER There are some smaller shops that can also be found in neighborhood areas. If you are lucky enough to live near an Airforce or Naval base, great! Some of the recycle shops near those locations have some nice stuff because they leave frequently. Category:Blog posts Category:JET Blogs Category:Daily Life